Beyoncé’s moment was set against her Inauguration performance of the “Star Spangled Banner.” She was roundly criticized for “lip-syncing,” though she actually sang over a backing track, which is a significant distinction. But after the Super Bowl show, the lip-sync controversy that loomed was burned away by the time the pyrotechnics flared. The press conference, in which Beyonce sang live to prove her pipes (asking “Any questions?” once she was done) was rendered unnecessary.

Her seamless a cappella version of “Love On Top” set the tone. The fast-paced medley of “Crazy in Love,” “End of Time” and ”Baby Boy” thrilled. Screaming Twitter accounts proclaimed her vindicated, or, in Samuel Jackson’s case, reinstated her status at the top of the game.

“I’m in the DON’T GIVE A F*** IF IT’S PRE-RECORDED OR NOT club!!,” the actor said. “B’s putting’ in WURK!!!!”

Prince‘s unforgettable turn at Super Bowl XLI, in which he famously sang “Purple Rain” in a downpour, gave his performance an air of mysticism. Likewise, after Beyonce’s electric performance, the stadium lost some of its lights, which caused an unprecedented delay in the game.

Instantaneously, Twitter exploded (actually broke for moments) with nyuk-nyuk jokes and conspiracy theories about Beyoncé’s role in the power outage.

Perhaps, the heaviest and most poignent tweet of the night was dispatched from Jay-Z’s Mr. Carter (@S_C) account.